The Light Side of the Moon
by Subai-chan
Summary: Alexandra can't remember any part of her past before she turned 14.  Dreams of a kind young genius boy and an orphanage in Winchester keep her awake at night.  What happens when her past comes into light?  Rated for language.  MelloOC, MattOC later on.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: Okay, I'll admit it. The first one sucked. Which is why I'm reposting a different prologue for our wonderful story, Light Side of the Moon. I've finally gotten a mildly good idea. Please, please at least attempt to read this one through and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong!

I don't own Death Note or any of its characters, concepts, places, etc, etc…Collab with **oOforeverobsessedOo. **Always and forever. Peace.

_**Prologue**_

_Cream-painted hallways loomed all around, seeming bigger than they actually were to the small child being led through them. She clutched desperately to her teddy bear with one arm, the other hand being held gently by a man who occasionally murmured for her to keep up. He wasn't cruel in the way he spoke to her, but she was terrified from the start—it hadn't exactly been the best day of her life. Her young mind tried to register what was going on as her large ocean eyes darted this way and that, taking in nothing but endless hallways. Her bare feet made little sound on the thin carpet, even if she stumbled once in awhile. _

_She had never felt more alone in all seven years of her life. _

_The man who had been leading her along turned abruptly, pulling her into a room with a desk near the back. Sitting at that desk, the back of his chair facing the large picture window behind, was another gentleman with a wise, kind face. It didn't help her fear of the unknown, of what was going on. She whimpered a little and buried her face in her bear. _

"_Oh…I see." The man behind the desk said sadly, sliding a manila folder onto his desk and flipping it open. When the little girl looked up, she realized that her escort had given the folder to this new person. "And her parents?"_

_She glanced up quickly at the tall man beside her, wanting to know the answer to that question herself. Where was her mother? And her father? The man opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again as though contemplating. He shot a glance back at the child, who flinched and shied away behind her teddy. He looked back up at his cohort, sighed once, and shook his head slightly. The desk man frowned. _

"_Does she have any siblings?" _

_Another shake of the head. But then, the little one already knew. _

"_Alright then, Ryder. We'll settle her in."_

**Scenechangescenechangescenechangescenechangegodihatethatasteriksdon'tcomeupSCENECHANGE**

A loud, obnoxious beeping noise blared through the upstairs of a one-bedroom apartment near Tokyo, Japan. The covers on the bed shifted and one hand reached out from under them to slam the button on the alarm clock, a groan rising from the teenage girl who had been sleeping in the warmth. She yawned widely as she threw the covers back, tired eyes glaring death at the alarm clock. It only blinked back at her with its green numbers, 7:58 AM. Growling and sitting up, she managed to drag herself out of bed. The answering machine on her night stand was beeping at her, signaling that there was a message chewing her out for being late for school…again. It didn't matter anyways; she always aced every test, quiz, and homework assignment those teachers threw her way. Sometimes she wondered why she was still in high school when she could've gone to college two years ago.

She pushed the button for playback as she wandered over to her dresser, grabbing her brush and running it irritably through her mid-back length, dark red tresses. A female voice echoed from the machine and back to her, the voice of her best friend in the entire world.

"Oi, Alex, wake up you lazy bum! If I can't sleep in then neither can you! If you wanna sleep in, lend me your brains so I don't have to go to school either. If not, then GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

'BEEP! End of messages.'

Chuckling quietly to herself, Alexandra rolled her eyes good-naturedly and dug through her dresser for a pair of jeans she hadn't worn yet that week. Settling on an old pair of Levis, she set the brush back on her dresser and headed into the bathroom to shower.

Janie had been keeping Alex in check since the day they met, almost four years ago. They did almost everything together, considering they lived in the same house for a period of time that the elder would never forget. A lost, just-teenaged version of herself wandering the streets crossed her mind's eye, soon joined by a girl just about a year younger than her insisting that they hang out together. The younger Alex declined, and was consequently dragged off by the younger Janie, who introduced her to the parents, and…the rest was history. Of course, everything before that lost, horrible time in her life was a very effectively-irritating blur. Usually her memory was incredible, but that seemed to be the exception.

Then there were the dreams. Alex frowned as she combed through her wet hair, going over her reflection a couple of times in the mirror. Deep dark eyes, bluer than the deepest ocean, gazed back at her indifferently, set almost out-of-place amongst her creamy skin. Sighing a little, she ran two fingers along her collarbone and played with the silver necklace set there. Those dreams seemed to occur more and more over the last month and a half…and they almost disturbed her. She never liked dreams, due to the vagueness and the unrealistic things that always happened, and these were no different…but somehow she felt they were more real than any dream she'd ever had. Somehow it was as though they weren't just dreams, but the memories she couldn't manage to unlock consciously.

Shaking her head, she shoved it to the back of her mind. Janie would have her head on a platter if she didn't hurry and get to the school. Plus, she had to speak with the guidance counselor about the shadow program she had been signed up for at the local University. God damn it. Tying her hair back, something she rarely to never did, Alex finished dressing and pulled her camouflage jacket on over her simple black, long-sleeved shirt, grabbed her camera from the night stand, and headed out of the apartment.

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

"And so, that is how you balance the mother of all chemical equations."

Alex slipped into her seat just as the chemistry teacher finished her lecture, knowing that she had been so quiet the senile old woman wouldn't have even noticed. (She had her back to the class, anyways.) Smiling a little at her victory, she glanced out of the corner of one eye at Janie, seated beside her. Janie glared at her.

"I am going to _kill_ you," she hissed softly. "That was the worst damn lesson we've ever had, I didn't understand any of it, and you arrive at the freaking end?! You're a dead woman!"

Biting her lip and pretending to be ashamed, the older girl whispered back, "I'm sowwie, Janie-chan. But I was up so late last night, I guess I just completely forgot that I had to be here today." Shrugging, she quickly scribbled down what their teacher had written on the white board in her neat cursive. "Besides, this stuff is so easy a caveman could do it. I'll give you a hand later; unless you just wanna copy my notes." She offered, holding up the now-full sheet of paper.

"Oh, yeah, so easy a caveman could do it. What, so the caveman evolved from me? You're a nice freaking friend," Janie spat, grinning a little and snatching Alex's notes away from her. "Gimme those."

Shrugging again, Alex muttered, "S'not my fault I'm so damn good at chemistry." Striking a small pose, she smirked. "I just rock." Janie smacked her on the back of the head.

"Stop bragging, you smart aleck. You're 'so damn good' at _everything_. You need to share some of your smartness!"

The elder rubbed the back of her head, raising a brow. She thought about repeating the fact that it wasn't her fault, but instead decided to mess with her best friend. "For starters," she began smugly, "'smartness' is not proper Japanese."

"Oh, shut the hell up. I don't care. I'll speak however I wanna speak, and you can't stop me!" Janie snapped, shoving her friend. Laughing, Alex was about to shove back with enough force to push the other girl out of her seat, but the clearing of an ancient throat from the front of the classroom caught her attention.

"If you ladies would like to say something to the class, then by all means share. If not, then Janie, would you mind using that extra energy you seem to have and balance this chemical equation for the rest of the class?" Miss Donna interjected, pointing a wrinkled finger at the white board.

Alex glanced at it first, trying not to laugh. For her, it would be a no-brainer, but unfortunately…she glanced at Janie, waiting for what she knew was coming.

"Uh, no, I'll say something, instead." Janie stood and pointed an accusing finger at her friend. "Alex is too damn smart for anyone's good and she needs to share her brains with other people—like me!"

"Thank you. Now come up and balance the equation, please," Miss Donna said. Janie groaned and glared at her friend.

"I'm going to kill you, Alexandra," she growled, sulking up to the board.

About halfway through the painful chemical equation, Alex lost face and let her mind wander to other, more important matters. Despite the fact that she usually let the "insulting" things Janie said about her insanely-high intelligence quotient slide off her shoulders, this particular one hit home based on how she'd been thinking as of late. It was true, she was considering taking her already-acquired high school diploma (as well as the small fortune in scholarships saved in her bank account) and applying for a college; maybe in an exotic place, like England or Australia. If it weren't for Janie's sanity, the job probably would have been done long ago. That was the main reason she was going along with the shadow program between her high school and the University of Tokyo: to get a glimpse and see if college interested her.

Then there was the number-one priority on her mind for the last six years or so—a world-wide murder mystery known as the "Kira Epidemic," or the Kira case to her. Now that she actually took the time to think about it, she could probably catch up to the main detective on the difficult case—a man who was just a voice on the radio to everyone, who went by the name of 'L.' All it would take was some patience, several references, plane tickets, the right search tactics, and…

"Alex? Alexandra!"

Humming in response, the young woman glanced up at Miss Donna and tried to clear her head. She took in the scene of Janie standing at the front of the room, practically having a mental breakdown from the difficulty of the equation, and the chemistry teacher handing her a marker.

"Would you please aid your friend with your superior intellect?" The statement was not at all endearing, not was it intended to be in any way. A good amount of the teachers disliked Alex for her genius, as it tended to mean that she didn't play close attention and yet managed straight-A's with ease.

Ignoring the snide remark, Alex took the marker delicately and stepped up to Janie's side. Without a second glance at the work, she filled in blanks with numbers and perfectly balanced the problem in five seconds flat. She pulled her friend back to their seats without another word. The chemistry teacher was speechless, as usual.

"First of all, I hate you, and second of all, you're my hero." Janie whispered as they sat again, sighing and sliding down in her seat. "You and me have got to take some time so you can teach me how to solve that…that _thing_. It's gonna be a HUGE part of our final, and I don't feel like failing this class _again_."

Smiling, Alex nodded. "When I get home from my shadow day tomorrow, we'll have a study session. I _promise_." She assured, closing her notebook. "Then we can plot how to kill Miss Donna." She added, grinning wider.

"Yes!" Janie cried, pumping her fist into the air. Everyone in the room turned to her, and she laughed nervously. "Eh-heh…" She quickly lowered her arm and pretended to be studying her notes.

As Alex chuckled lightly and attempted to return to her prior train of thought, things almost went back to the usual, everyday pattern.

Until Miss Donna suddenly collapsed on the classroom floor.

--_End Prologue_—

**Author: **Well, I hope this is better than the first prologue. It might be a little confusing, but the part in italics at the very beginning is a dream that the main character is having. Before I get into the later chapters, let me just list a couple of pairings here…

One-sided LightMisa.

MelloOC.

MattOC.

Any others are TBA. Anyways, I'd better get started on the first chapter. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author**: Okay. Here it is. Any questions about the prologue please ask them…and this is the first chapter. No warnings needed, mild language, death of a chemistry teacher…blah. More mention of Kira. Death Note characters will be presented more openly/make appearance in chapter 2. Be patient! I don't own Death Note, concepts, characters, scenes, places, etc. Let's get going!

_Light Side of the Moon_

_**Chapter 1**_

Alex's hands were shaking as she stood outside the high school building, huddled close to her equally-jittery best friend Janie. The cool September air had nothing to do with their quivering bodies, although it didn't help much. Not many teenagers could say they watched their chemistry teacher drop dead in the middle of a lesson. But while Janie was just not used to seeing someone—a human being—die before her eyes, Alex had a multitude of other things playing in her mind based on the last hour of their lives.

Perhaps, if she had not been thinking about the mass homicide spread out over five years or more, she wouldn't have linked Kira to this death. Perhaps it was merely a coincidence—after all, Miss Donna was at _least_ pushing ninety years old. But Alex had all the proof she needed that it had to be Kira's work, for she had found and taken the woman's files from the school's computer main frame. It listed her past as a rehabilitation miracle, a mass murderer in her own right who spent only four months in the lunacy asylum before being released on the supposed diagnosis of her sanity. She was not proven to be completely reformed, and in fact was not fit to spend any length of time around other people. How she'd held out so long shocked Alex. Not to mention…she had died of a heart attack, according to the principal who was giving an interview to the news crew who had arrived on the scene.

But the truth was, Kira had found Miss Donna. In the end, Kira always managed to find the criminals.

She decided not to relay any of this disturbing information to Janie. The younger girl was paranoid as it was. The file had been stored safely in her backpack, where it would stay until she needed it. Evidence, she knew from experience, was key. Being caught with it, on the other hand, could quite possibly be bad. Nudging Janie with her elbow, she attempted to draw her friend away from the scene of ambulances, frantic teachers, and chatting students to lead her home. No one made a move to stop them, and she was confident that no one would miss them. Or the files on Miss Donna.

When Janie refused to go quietly, Alex pulled a box of pocky from her bag and shoved it into her friend's hands before dragging her off of school grounds. The first place they went was Janie's house, where her parents were waiting to smother her with hugs and 'oh God, are you okay?'s. The irritated girl, who was trying to enjoy her recently-acquired pocky, endured the unnecessary affection with practiced ease.

After practically suffocating their daughter, the adults turned their attention to Alex. She was still considered family to them and they hugged her more carefully, knowing she disliked overexposure to physical affection. She patiently answered the worried questions that Janie had been asked, took the mild embraces, and promised that she was going to be alright by herself.

"You can move back in with us if you ever need to, Alexandra." Gwen, Janie's mother, assured her, worried chocolate eyes gazing into hers. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Smiling gently to calm the sweet older woman down, Alex nodded. "Thanks Gwen, but I can handle it myself. Janie needs your full attention right now." She winked at her best friend, who rolled her eyes and munched passively on her snack. "Besides, if I don't pay my rent next week, my landlord will throw a fit." The last part had been a side thought, as was everything else at that point. Her mind was already troubled by the ideas she'd been toying with most of the morning; she was finding it difficult to focus on anything else. The recent blow to her daily life made her want, more than anything, to find the trail of Kira, to follow the detective on the case. She wanted to help, and was fully aware that she could.

Insisting that no, in fact she couldn't stay for dinner, Alex waved goodbye to her would-be family around four o' clock that afternoon and began the twelve-block trek back to her apartment. She felt as though she might drown in the unanswered questions flooding her brain; she was even starting to get a migraine, and the frigid air helped to clear her head at least a little. Now she wasn't a hundred percent overwhelmed…just 98 percent or so. Wonderful.

Her black boots scraped on the concrete as she strode along the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets, trying to conserve body heat—she'd never much cared for being cold. She could almost see the welcoming light from the front door of her apartment building, and her pace quickened subconsciously. She just wanted to be home so this day could be over, so she could get some sleep and get up on time for the shadow program the next day. Inside her coat pocket, her fingers were already fumbling for her key.

Stopping at the front door of the building, Alex glanced over her shoulder into the setting sun thoughtfully. The glow reflected in her dark eyes, turning them a similar shade of orange. A slight breeze picked up in the silence, tousling her bangs and ruffling the sleeves of her jacket. It seemed so serene and peaceful—no one would ever guess that a human life had been taken decisively only four hours ago. She sighed at the irony, that the world was so imperfect, and yet there was no evidence of such a fact in the sunset. As though nature was impervious to the truth. On that final thought, she turned the handle and shoved open the door to the building.

**Dreammodedreammodedreammodedreammodedreammodedreammodedreammode**

_She didn't know where she was. She didn't know when she had started crying. The only comfort she had was the soft bear she was cuddling, with every inch of her small body curled around the thing as she huddled in the corner of the room the man named Ryder had led her into. What she wanted was not in this room, clearly a bedroom from the small closet and the two beds on either side of the window, but what she wanted now could not be obtained anymore. The small girl hiccupped as she sobbed, hiding herself deeper in the dark corner away from the window where moonlight was streaming in. No, she didn't want this—she wanted her family. Her mother and father. The parents that fate had taken from her._

_The child would not tell Ryder her name when he asked. She wouldn't answer when he asked if she was hungry or thirsty, and she would not come out of her corner. She did not speak at all. Her own voice seemed lost to her, and she made no effort whatsoever to find it. She only cried for fifteen minutes altogether._

_When the door to "her" room opened again, she still did not move from her corner. Her ocean eyes were dull as she sat there, gazing absently at the patch of moonlight on the carpet with no expression on her tear-streaked face. She rested her cheek atop the head of her bear, shoulder-length crimson locks sweeping over her frail shoulders. Her mind registered Ryder's voice, but she didn't bother trying to distinguish words, and another unfamiliar voice spoke up quietly._

"_You found her here in England? Then logically, she must speak English." The new voice was saying, that gentle tone soothing to her aching heart and mind. Her eyelids slid closed to the comforting rhythm of this new person's speech._

_Ryder again, breaking the pattern. Jumbled words that didn't interest the child._

_Then that soothing melodic echo again. "Perhaps she just does not wish to speak of her ordeal. Maybe she is afraid to answer questions about it. Near is still fairly silent, after all."_

_Silence for a moment. The girl let her eyes open, lifting her head heavily and gazing at the two silhouettes in the doorway against the light in the hallway. The one beside Ryder's was significantly shorter than the adult, as well as very thin and delicate-looking. In the light, only his outline was visible to her. He turned his head as though he could feel her eyes on him, meeting her gaze with his own. She didn't flinch or look away, only sat there staring at the boy as though he were a lifeline, waiting for him to speak in his soft, calming song._

"_I'll try. But I can't promise you anything." The tone flowed through her veins and relaxed her tense little muscles, loosening her grip on her plush toy. She watched calmly as the boy strode quietly into the stream of moonlight only three feet from her, not moving except to turn her head and follow his movements. The lunar light illuminated his disheveled raven hair, framing a pale face and reflecting off of onyx eyes with dark shadows beneath them. His posture was slouched only slightly and his clothes, a white long-sleeved shirt and basic blue jeans, looked overall too big for his slender frame. Her mind worked quickly—judging by his size and appearance, she deduced that he was at least thirteen years old._

"_Hello."_

_She liked being able to link that voice to a human body. Otherwise, she'd have doubted its existence. _

"_My name is L."_

**Enddreamenddreamenddreamenddreamenddreamenddreamenddream**

When Alex awoke at one in the morning, her forehead was damp with cold sweat. She was also sitting at her living room table, where it was apparent she had fallen asleep. The desk light was on, illuminating scattered newspaper clippings and pages of scribbled notes, and her eyes were wide and alert as she glanced around frantically. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps and her fingers were shaking as she reached for her cell phone beside her. The clock on the screen read exactly 1:07 AM. Sighing heavily as a wave of sudden exhaustion washed over her, she leaned back in her chair and groaned. "Fuck."

As though on cue, the phone in her palm suddenly began vibrating. She felt the sudden urge to cry as she gave in and answered the thing.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you, please don't kill me!" She heard Janie cry on the other end. "I couldn't sleep and I was bored, so I called you."

Sighing a little, Alex rubbed her eyelid with one hand. "No. It's fine. I was already awake." She mumbled, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Why can't you sleep?"

"Hm. Good question. Dunno. I was just anxious, I guess." Janie replied. Her tone changed slightly as she asked, "Why aren't you sleeping? You okay?"

"Me? Fine." Alex assured a little too quickly. "Just stayed up too late again. You know how I lose track of time." Forcing herself to stand, she staggered groggily into her bedroom with every intention of getting changed into pajamas.

"You sure? You don't sound so good." Janie observed. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

A shaking note formed in the back of Alex's throat because she knew her friend was right, and she hated lying to Janie. She tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "Of course not. I'm just realizing how tired I am." For good measure, she yawned loudly into the mouth piece. Before her friend could pry any further, she decided to put an end to the difficult conversation. "Look, Janie, my cell is dying. Anyways, I need to get to bed to I can wake up in six hours." Again putting as much of her persuasive power into action as possible, she added a tone to her voice that told of her distaste in waking up so early.

Still sounding unconvinced, Janie spoke warily. "Okay…just don't forget about our study session after you get home, okay? Chemical equations are the devil."

Alex agreed before closing her phone and dropping it onto her dresser with a 'klunk,' ready to let the battery die so she didn't have to deal with answering any more questions. She kicked her heavy boots off and crawled under the covers fully-clothed, curling herself into a ball and staring half-lidded into the darkest corner of her room. That last dream had been even more disturbing than the others, as she was absolutely positive now that the child was her. A déjà vu feeling overcame her when she thought about the last few scenes, starting to confirm her earlier theory about the dreams being locked-up memories from her forgotten childhood. She was almost scared to go back to sleep, to see another picture of that miserable little girl in that strange place, to remember what she'd been happier not knowing.

Shivering and burying herself beneath the warmth of the covers, Alexandra closed her eyes and slipped into a dreamless slumber.

_End Chapter 1_

**Author**: Aw, man—it's depressing! Then again, considering it's a Death Note fic, I guess it's next to impossible for Alex to be cheerful 24/7. "Hey, cool—Kira just killed my chemistry teacher! Tra-la-laaa!"

Um. Yeah. Somehow I don't see that happening.

The dreams irritate _me_. They're a pain to write, but they set Alex's character. Next chapter brings in a new character that every DN fan knows and loves, or hates! Toodles!

--Axel's Stalker


	3. Chapter 2

**Author:** Okay. I get it. This story is going a little slowly. But c'mon guys, be patient! Good fanfics take awhile to get into! I promise it'll be worth the wait!

Warnings for language, that's about it…Appearance of a DN character in this chapter. I don't own Death Note characters, concepts, ideas, places, etc.

_Light Side of the Moon_

_**Chapter 2**_

_Bzzt. Bzzt. BZZT._

_**Crash.**_

"Janie, did you throw your alarm clock again?" Gwen called.

"Nngh," Janie groaned, her face buried in her pillow.

"I was afraid of that. Janie, c'mon, outta bed. You're gonna be late for school again," Janie's mother said, banging on Janie's door.

"Meh! Go 'way!"

Janie hadn't gotten to sleep for another three hours after she and Alex had hung up. For one, the sudden death of Miss Donna was still burned into her mind. For another, she was worried about Alex. She could tell her friend had been lying the previous night, but didn't want to press the independent genius.

Last, but certainly not the least in Janie's mind: she had an algebra exam that day. And she hadn't studied. And she was pretty positive that the teacher wouldn't postpone—or better yet, cancel—the exam because of the chemistry teacher's death.

"Janie, let's _go_," Gwen ordered. Janie groaned and rolled out of bed.

"'M up, 'm up," she grumbled, staggering over to the bathroom for a shower.

**Scenechangescenechangescenechange**

"I need a plan," Janie muttered to herself, trudging toward the school. "Plan…plan…dammit, this is what I have Alex for! _She_ makes the plans! So how am I supposed to get her to come up with a plan for me to use to get her to talk to me? Gah! I hate thinking!"

Janie sighed, stuffing her hands deep in her pockets.

'I wish she would move in again,' she thought to herself. 'Then she could help me with school anytime. _And_ I might be able to figure out what's going on.'

"Yeah, I had a horrible dream last night. It was so scary!" A school girl told her friend as they turned off of one street in front of Janie. The American teen paused in the middle of the sidewalk, a memory flashing before her.

**Memorytimememorytime**

_Janie awoke to quiet mumblings. She crawled out of bed and silently tip-toed to Alex's room, where she opened the door and cautiously peeked into the darkness. Her friend was mumbling unintelligibly and squirming, her bedcovers tangled around her. Janie's eyes widened a little, but as she moved to open the door further and wake her friend from the nightmare, Alex gasped and sat up with wide eyes. She ran her fingers through her crimson locks, taking a deep breath, and stumbled tiredly into her personal bathroom._

**Endmemoryendmemory**

"I wonder if she had another one…Is that what was wrong last night?" Janie murmured to herself. "So…how am I going to ask her about it? _Should_ I ask her about it? Hm…maybe I'll bring it up during our study date." In the distance, she heard the school bells ringing. Her eyes widened. "FUCK!"

She took off as fast as she could, her bag flapping behind her and her thoughts floating off on the wind.

**Scenechangescenechangescenechange**

Tying off the end of the self-made french braid in her long crimson locks, Alex went over her reflection wearily in the mirror as she was preparing to leave her apartment. She'd slept well enough after going to bed the night before, but she just couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something important and horrible was going to happen. She tried to remember if she'd forgotten anything on her 'to do' list—she left everything Janie would need for the algebra test folded up in their locker, she'd put the money for the rent in an envelope under her pillow, and the grocery list had been written…that was everything. Taking a deep breath to quell the nausea creeping up on her, she glanced at the clock. Those same green numbers blinked at her through the dim light, 6:34 AM. She would have to pick up a can of Monster on her way to the college.

Closing her eyes, she headed down the stairs and out onto the surprisingly-busy sidewalk. She didn't want to do this shadow thing, she didn't want to go to Janie's afterwards and be bombarded with questions she had no answer to—she just wanted to forget about weaving through the crowds, go back to bed, and sleep forever—or to be someone else. Anyone else. With the incentive of a zombie, she turned onto the campus without remembering the half-hour walk, trudged up the front steps, and pushed open the front door of Tokyo University.

The hallways of the college building were fairly void of students, which was just fine with her. It was also very warm, in comparison to the icy air outside, and she wished now that she'd cared enough about her consciousness to stop and get that can of Monster. Her stomach churned as she imagined the taste of the energy drink on her tongue; she groaned a little and strode into the main office. An older gentleman with liver spots coating his balding head sat at the desk, behind a computer that probably moved twenty years faster than he did. She tapped on the desk in front of him with two knuckles and his tired old brown eyes glanced at her.

"Hi," she greeted mildly, "my name is Alexandra Obata, and I'm here for the shadow program."

Mumbling something to himself, the old man shuffled through a stack of papers that buried his mouse pad and pulled out what looked like a printed e-mail. "Oh," his voice was hoarse and quiet, "yes. Here you are, Miss Obata. You'll be with our very top student today."

Shrugging and trying to retain her focus, she took the pin that he was handing to her and glanced at it. Her name was engraved in white, plain kanji for everyone to see. She sighed a little as she shoved the thing into her coat pocket and turned to head out of the office. It didn't occur to her until she was halfway down the hall that she might have needed to wait in the aforementioned office for the student she would be trailing after to come pick her up.

Despite the thought, she didn't bother to go back. She would just wander around until someone realized that they were missing a shadow. The thought that she was being extremely irrational today made her giggle and the warmth of the building certainly didn't help her impending giggle fit. There was just something about the feeling of nausea in her stomach and the feverish warmth around her that made her mind feel too overwhelmed to care about anything anymore. In her stride along the tiled floor, she managed to trip right into the frame of a young man who was coming back the way she was going.

The student blinked as she stepped back and shook her head, ocean eyes glancing up to apologize for her lack of attention. As soon as the word 'sorry' left her mouth, the brunette assured her that there was no harm done.

"It's really alright; I wasn't paying much attention myself." He said with a smile, his voice like liquid sugar. Alex yawned widely, not bothering to use her manners and cover her mouth. She mumbled something that sounded like a 'whatever,' about to continue on her way. As she shoved her hands into her pockets, something sharp poked her finger and she quickly yanked that hand out of the pocket, swearing to herself and glaring at the bleeding tip of her finger.

"Damn that stupid pin!" She cursed, referring to the name tag that old man had given her.

The student tilted his head slightly, honey-brown eyes curious. "What pin?"

Shaking her head, she pulled the offending thing out of her pocket. "This thing I got; I'm supposed to be shadowing the top student at this college for the day."

There was a pause as the boy briefly examined the pin before she stole it back, only allowing him to see the first part of her name. "Alex O.? I think you're with me."

**Scenechangescenechangescenechange!!!**

Janie stared at the thick packet of paper in front of her.

"Heh… eh heh… I'm a goner," she whimpered. "I have no idea what any of this means! Damn you for being absent so I can't copy you, Alex!"

She groaned and, figuring she wasn't going to be able to get any answers even if she TRIED, she took the folded piece of paper she had found in hers and Alex's locker out of her pocket and opened it. She stared at the algebraic formulas, all laid out neatly and in a way she could understand.

"Alex… I love you… you'll forever be my best friend… when you get back I'm going to buy you a lifetime's supply of Monster…" she whispered, quickly beginning the test, keeping one eye on the formulas.

**Scenechangescenechangescenechange…**

"Hey, Yagami-san?" Alex glanced at him out of the corner of one ocean eye as she followed one step behind him, heading to his second and final class of the day. For a college student, she realized, her new 'friend' didn't need much to graduate. It made some sense to her, considering it was his last year of college and he had the most amazing grades in the country, but still…

He turned to her, smiling a little out of sheer politeness. "You may call me Raito, Alex-san,"

She had not let him read the nametag completely, for no real reason other than paranoia, and had only given him her nickname…which again was slightly irrational, but she wasn't taking chances. Ignoring the comment and continuing, she said, "I'm a photographer, and I was just wondering if I could get a shot of you for my portfolio," she pulled her camera out of her pocket as she spoke, making the point.

Nodding, he turned completely to face her in the hallway and she clicked a picture of the charming young man. At least, to most young women her age he would be charming, handsome, perfect…but she wasn't interested. Love wasn't something she strived for, wanted, or needed. It was troublesome and she had better things to waste her time on. Shaking her head slightly to clear it of the random thoughts, she shoved the camera back into her pocket.

"So, a photographer?" Raito went on as they began walking again, holding the door of the lecture hall open for her. She nodded once to acknowledge his manners, brushing past him and dropping herself into the first seat she found. She kicked her feet up onto the desk and yawned, leaning back in the chair. He sat beside her, seemingly having no problems with her posture. "I'd like to see your portfolio sometime, if that's okay,"

She shrugged. "I guess so…but I don't have much time outside of my typical life. Unless you wanna set up a date or something," she had meant for the statement to be sarcastic.

His eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Really? Well, there is this café just off-campus…if you wanted to head there after this class, I could treat you to lunch," he offered, smiling again.

The look she gave him was void of emotion for a moment and she eventually raised a brow, smirking. "Smart _and_ funny," she chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "You're just the ideal guy, aren't you?" She turned her eyes to her fingernails to let the sarcasm hang in the air, picking at the fresh coat of black polish.

Raito did not appear to be put off by her statement. "I'm serious, Alex. I'd like to get go know you a little better—it's been awhile since I've had a decent conversation with a woman, and your intellect is incredible," he continued, managing to sound persuasive while still keeping his cool smooth tone just beneath.

Okay, she was quickly getting bored with this. Rolling her eyes, she sat up straight and almost glared at him. Unfazed, he watched her hopefully. A sigh escaped her lips. Shouldn't, by the laws of typical 'dating,' _she_ be the one begging for a date with _him_? "If I say yes," she grumbled, "will you promise to keep it casual and not get all flirty? I hate it when people do that." To make a point, she folded her arms.

Smiling a little at the fact that, no matter how she worded it, she'd given in, he shook his head. "Of course not. I'd just like to explore your mind a little more," At the look she sent him, he continued. "It seems like a fascinating place, especially considering we're about at the same intelligence quotient."

Sighing, Alex shrugged and turned back to the digital camera she was turning over in her hands. "Okay. Sure," she mumbled, feeling like kicking herself for her weak-willed state. She really hoped Janie's algebra test was going okay…vaguely she wondered if her friend had found the piece of paper folded in their locker. Deciding it was better to not worry about such a thing at that point, she leaned back in the chair and waited for the professor to begin the lecture. She didn't even remember dozing off.

**Dreamtimedreamtimedreamtime**

"_L?" The small girl's soprano voice trembled as she spoke, betraying her body's feeling of serenity at the sound of the young boy's voice. _

_Tilting his head slightly, the raven-haired boy nodded once. "Do you have a name?" He continued softly, leaning down to her level and drawing his knees up to his chest. He sat more on the balls of his feet, drumming slender fingers on his kneecaps and peering at her with dark-rimmed eyes that looked in need of a good night's sleep. "Or shall we call you 'New Girl?'" _

_The only way she could tell he was trying to make her laugh was by the small smile that found its way onto his face. She tried to force one in return, but only managed to get a half-crooked one. It was hard to smile when your whole world had just come crashing down around you and no one was there to save you from the wreckage. "I have a name," she assured quietly, holding her teddy bear in a death grip around its neck. "My name is…"_

**Enddreamenddreamenddream**

"Alex? Are you alright?"

Raito was shaking the young woman's shoulder to wake her, but she was already fairly conscious. Her ocean eyes opened wide and she stared in disbelief at her shaking hands. Why did she always wake up in this state?

"You're very pale. We can reschedule our lunch date if you feel sick," the brunette continued, holding the back of his hand to her forehead. "You don't have a fever…"

Alex was ignoring him…unintentionally, really. That small, frail child in her dreams…had she just introduced herself to the boy as…Alexandra? It was impossible. It wasn't her; if she had known that young boy, the one who called himself 'L,' then wouldn't that mean she was connected to the detective on the Kira Case? But then—taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. She was putting things way out of proportion. There wasn't a definite link between that strange little boy and the detective who was world-renowned for never leaving a case unsolved. It was too far-fetched for anyone to believe it anyways…maybe she needed a CAT scan. All the stress must have been messing with her brain…giving her these odd dreams…Yeah, that was it. Stress. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, effectively calming herself down and getting onto her feet.

It didn't take a genius to realize the professor's lecture had ended almost twenty minutes ago. "Are we done, Raito-san?" She asked quietly, glancing at him with her composure back. "I'm kind of hungry. Let's get going, okay?"

Raito eyed her cautiously for another second before nodding once and standing as well. "Is there a specific time you need to be home by?"

"No," she replied without thinking, heading out of the lecture hall with the brunette close behind.

_**End chapter**_

**Author:** Okay, there ya go! There's a DN character in this chapter…I hope you people are happy now…geez. I'm a fountain of ideas for Naruto stuff, but I'm running dry at the moment for this fic. I've got chapter four mostly done, but to post it…I have to actually WRITE chapter three. (This is how I work…I write chapter four before chapter 3…that's how ideas get out, people!) Anyways, hope you enjoyed! I'm away laughing on a fast camel!


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